AIBU to be completely shaken up after this happened while I was driving with my 6yo?

[hoopladelicious]

I’m posting because I’m still really shaken by this and would appreciate some advice and support.

Yesterday evening I was driving home with my six-year-old daughter after taking her to a sports session 20 minutes away. I live in a small town and the sports location is rural. The session finished at around 7pm and it was dark outside.

On the country road home, I became aware of a vehicle following very closely behind me. Suddenly the vehicle then overtook me, stopped abruptly in the middle of the road and a large male got out on the dark road.

He approached my car shouting and swearing at me. He could clearly see that I had my six-year-old daughter in the car.

I was frightened and tried to get away from the situation.

I tried to overtake, and another vehicle behind the first one then overtook me and positioned itself in the right-hand lane, facing oncoming traffic.

At first I thought I might be able to follow this vehicle and get away from the first driver, but I then realised the second vehicle appeared to be involved too.
The first vehicle was blocking the left-hand side of the road and the second vehicle, a huge Hilux, was positioned on the right-hand side, facing the direction of oncoming traffic.

It was a narrow, dark, bendy country road. I couldn't get past them, and I didn't feel I could safely reverse my small car either. The larger vehicles could manoeuvre much more easily than I could.

At that point I was trapped with my little girl in a dark isolated country road with an angry man with an accomplice. There was no connection on my phone and i was shaking like a leaf.

The second driver wasn't the person who had been shouting at me, but the positioning of his Hilux meant I couldn't get past, and I had no idea what was happening or what their intentions were.

I put my hazard lights on, started sounding my horn and was screaming because I was so frightened.

The driver of the Hilux could see that I was distressed and that I had my child in the car.

I honestly thought I was being carjacked.

I was terrified that one of them might force me out of the car, that the situation could escalate, or that either me or my daughter could be harmed. I was also very worried about the Hilux being positioned facing oncoming traffic on a narrow bend at night and the potential for a collision.

Eventually, because other traffic was coming through, the vehicles moved and I was able to get away and continue towards home.

Afterwards, the Hilux continued to weave through traffic in a way that interfered with my journey and made me feel intimidated. I don't know what happened to the first vehicle at that point.

I got the car registration and reported it to the police. I'm not sure what they did was even a crime? I don't know what is going through peoples minds to do this to someone on a dark country road. Working in tandem? I can only imagine they are awful people.

AIBU to think this was extremely frightening and potentially very serious, or am I catastrophising what happened?

Has anyone experienced anything similar?

And is there anything else you think I should be doing now that I've reported it to the police?

That's terrifying OP! I live rurally and have had similar (nowhere near as bad) experiences. Most likely an aggressive male, who had worked himself up over some perceived driving slight! Felt you should be going faster, etc! Try to calm yourself by remembering its them, not you and they were utter knobs. Don't let this affect your going out, or route choice in the future.

I can understand road rage. That is unpleasant but I get it. What I can't get my head around is two people working together, in two separate cars to box me in and essentially trap me on a dark country road. Who has those skills? Why where they out together?

If you can afford it, maybe get cameras for front AND back. Heck, and for the sides too, if need be!
That was one very frightening experience and I'm sorry you had to experience it. I'm wondering if was meant to have been an insurance scam or something.
Either way, I'm glad you got away from it unscathed.
The police may have some advice about what to do in this sort of situation.

Do you have dashcam recordings? Report to police.

I wonder if this behaviour is commonplace for these threatening individuals? Are you absolutely sure you had your lights on? You hadn’t committed some driving faux pas to anger them? You’ll have to let us know what the police say.

Going by what he was shouting, is it possible that you’d cut him up or similar ?
obviously their response was very unreasonable if so.

Unlikely that either driver would be able to see who was in the OP’s car given that it was dark. It sounds as though the second driver was just trying to squeeze through the gap, the Hilux is a big vehicle and it can’t have been easy on a narrow road.

I can see how scary it must have felt for the OP, and she should definitely report the first driver. The second doesn’t seem to have done anything wrong, well not that she could prove anyway. I always avoid these types of roads at night if I possibly can, you can be very vulnerable on them.

My lights were on.

That's awful. I would have been terrified too.

My first thought was they were trying to create a crash on purpose as an insurance scam. This definitely happens with two vehicles working together. If you have a dashcam, they probably would have backed off.

Car jacking is incredibly rare.

The other possibility is that you accidentally angered a really angry man. But it seems unlikely that someone would have summoned a friend in these circumstances. But possible i guess. Road rage leads to terrible behaviour.

Sounds utterly terrifying. I live in a remote rural area and a lady posted a very similar sounding incident on our local police website warning others. Being in groups and with certain vehicles makes me think they are getting a kick out of intimidating other drivers. Always seems to be Hilux or similar off road vehicles. We also had a spell of men in a car overtaking and stopping abruptly before driving off around our lanes at night which put me off going out. I would google the car registration and see if the plate matches the vehicle, mot, taxed etc chances are it’s stolen on false plates. All you can do is report to police.

RTFT.

@LoveItaly

The first man stopped and blocked the road - he could see a child in my car and continued.

It was a double lane road, but bendy. When i tried to overtake car B swung past, facing oncoming traffic and blocked the road, risking oncoming collision. When I tried reversing he swung behind me. He intimidated me for miles after car A was gone. He was working with car A, no doubt. A skilled driver in a huge car.

YANBU at all, that's terrifying. Glad you reported and I hope the police follow up with you.

Just wanted to say though that you did protect your little girl. You made a ton of noise, drew attention to yourself, and made it clear that you were not going to quietly comply. You managed to get away and that's the goal.

YANBU to be intimidated in such a situation. You did the right thing though by locking your car and, if there was no signal, to try to attract attention by using your horn etc at the time and by reporting it to the police - who I would absolutely expect to take it seriously and pay this person a visit.

@takealettermsjones

Thank you. That means a lot.

I am a bag of nerves today. My letterbox went and i jumped a mile. I can't stop crying.

You must have been petrified.
If this happens to anyone else please don't drive home, if they follow they then know where you live. Go straight to a Police station, fire station of hospital, if you have none of those then straight to any other area that will have people, lights and possibly cctv i.e supermarket or pub. Never ever home.

Do you drive the sort of car that might be attractive to car thieves?

That's terrible, OP. Can you say which county? I'm also in a pocket of small market towns in the SW and have heard of similar here in Wiltshire but not with 2 vehicles!

Also curious to know if you drive a particularly desirable car.

No, I have a very old car.

I am in west Dorset.

Oh no! This is horrific. Please let us know what the police say.
Do you have a local Facebook group you could post anonymously on to see if it’s happened to anyone else?

I'm not surprised you still feel nervous. That's a horrible and scary position to be in. It does sound like the driver thought you'd done something but I don't think that was the case. He just wanted to intimate and scare you.
I'm glad you've reported it and I hope they get back to you soon. I'm also glad your daughter is okay and didn't realise the danger.

That's sounds scary !
2 cars 2 men they were definitely working together and I don't know what their intentions were but not good !
You did the correct thing locking the doors banging horn and reporting to police !
I would have drove straight to the police station not home because they may have followed hopefully you have a burley DH at home x

Sounds terrifying. I'v had a dashcam in my spare room for about 2 yrs. I'm putting mine on today. Thank you.

You did the right things. And your home safe. You’ve also got number plates. Hopefully the police will take it seriously and find out their intentions.
would I be worth contacting a local neighbourhood council or group to report too see if they can help prevent it happening again.